The Grumpy Old Fart Customer

Six months ago, I began tracking the cost of weekly, regular purchases (stuff we buy every week) at the two supermarkets we usually frequent.  My expectations were realized, prices of those products purchased weekly have been edging up weekly.  The percentage of increase every week is small but over a long period of time it will be significant.  This is especially true, when you consider the fact that our wages are stagnating and there are other expenses increasing as well.

Every week my chosen purchases have increased by a few cents and have not gone down any in the last few months.  There have been some small exceptions when one of my stores over-stocks an item and marks it as on sale. Our weekly total at the cash register reflects the same story, although there may be some weeks where we purchase more or less total goods.  However, the individual items definitely show increases on a weekly basis.

Recent reports claim that our Federal Reserve Board of Brain Trust does not see much inflation in the current economic climate.  Really?  Isn’t food one of things measured by the CPI (Consumer Price Index) basket?  According to everything I have researched, the answer is yes.  Gasoline continues its wild roller coaster ride depending on the mythical barrel price of oil, which also fluctuates wildly.  But food has steadily increased in prices (in the Midwest) by small increments for as long as I have been measuring it.

The increases in customer costs are not limited to food, in a recent conversation with a friend, I discovered that a medical procedure that this person needs on a regular basis has increased in cost.  My friend showed me two separate bills for the same procedure, and I determined that the increase was about 15% over the last bill for the same procedure.

It is bad enough that people without good healthcare insurance live in constant fear of their appendix bursting or gall bladder going south, and the $30,000 dollars that it will cost them to treat it.  Now, you can add the increase in cost of simpler, necessary procedures that people need every day.  For instance, people with diabetes must have insulin in one form or the other, if the percentage of cost is outpacing the increase in their income then something else suffers, usually food or gas.

We are constantly reassured by our ass-wipe politicians (especially since 2016), that our economy is on the mend and that inflation is under control and has met the preferred target set by the Federal Reserve Bank.  I am not sure what the hell that means, but in real terms costs are going up and it seems to be a trend not just a “one off event”.  So, what this means is, our costs are now going up on the shitty customer service and experience that is becoming more prevalent in our society.

We have been convinced that discount stores were offering lower prices and that we should expect less service to get these lower costs.  But if costs of products and services are going up, then shouldn’t we be getting improved customer service as well?  Sure, and money really does grow on trees and there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow!   But seriously, if inflation continues to grow and the Federal Reserve Bank precedes with QE 4 (more free money to banks), the costs of goods could skyrocket to the point where we the average citizens and customers cannot afford them.  I’m no expert here, but I believe that this situation will not end well.

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The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

So, last night all of Hollywood held its collective, elitist breath, as the unthinkable could happen—a movie produced by a streaming company could win the Oscar!  Well, as it turned out, that didn’t happen, so today the arses at the Academy are taking their victory lap as they have apparently staved off the unthinkable.  Well, I have news for them and definitely a different opinion.

I stopped watching the award show years ago, because I could not stand the pomp and arrogance that goes that whole scene.  Self-important, conceded individuals (union workers) strutting around as if they have just cured cancer, global warming or any other disastrous problem plaguing mankind.  And the droves of people pushing and shoving to get one glimpse at their favorite actor (for Christ sakes, they are just people).

With the streaming channels gaining popularity through the production of their own movies and shows, Hollywood and network television have been struggling.  And now, the prospect of the last bastion of dominance that the movie industry has controlled (the Oscar), being taken away is unthinkable.  What difference does it make who hires the best talent in the industry and makes the best movies?

The online world has changed many aspects of our lives, shopping, investing, news, medical and others.  What we watch has undergone an incredible transformation from the days of the family sitting around the television for the prime-time programming to the current generations watching movies on a cell phone.  Every tablet owner has their own library of movies to watch anywhere they are.

So, companies that stream movies (you know who they are) have built healthy budgets and can create content that rivals all traditional production companies.  Then there is the convenience factor of watching streaming programs from the comfort of your home, without having to wait for the movie or show to come out on video (the Hollywood thing).  The streaming companies charge a monthly fee which compared to the price of going theaters or buying DVDs is relatively small.

Have you been to a movie lately?  Back in the day, going to the theater was fun event, even glamorous in different times.  Today movie theaters are run down, dirty, the cost of any kind of snack or munchies is astronomical.  The screen quality and sound systems suck and the place resembles the old “inmates running the asylum”, with staff that are simply there to collect a paycheck.  Not to mention the fact that the admission fee is enough to pay for a streaming service for a year.

Then there is the arrogance of the Academy itself, who somehow has it figured out that they are more adept at telling us what the best movie of the year is than we the customers are.  You know what the best movie of the year is, the one that you really like, not the one some sniveling little simpleton tells you is the best.  It would be good to see these little piss-ants knocked off their pedestal.

Let me tell you straight up who will make the decision on the best movies in the future.  It will be us, the customer who settles the debate here.  If the current trend holds, it is very likely that the streaming companies will completely rule.  And surely these companies will hire someone with the artistic ability to create a great movie.  Hollywood has been propped up for years by the independent film makers and not the corporate masters that only produce marketing programs for fast food toys.

So, breathe a sigh of relief Hollywood, you have survived one more year without being outdone by streaming companies, but beware, that sound you hear at your door is the streaming monster coming to replace you!

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The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

Ok, like it is not bad enough that our food has all kinds of processed chemicals and poisons. But now we are hearing about naturally occurring contaminants ending up in our food via our environment.  Many of our fertilizers and pesticides include something called “Glyphosate”, which is a chemical component of most of the farmers daily growing programs.

Glyphosate is also used in weed killing products that are sprayed on or near farm properties and various other landscape around the country.  Within the reports are studies that conclude that children are more susceptible to these carcinogens and have been indirectly linked to the increase in childhood cancers (look it up).  Many researchers say that these studies will take years to complete to understand the total harm that can be done chemicals like Glyphosate (however one lawsuit has already condemned the chemical).

The corporate ass-wipes, of course, absolve themselves of any wrongdoing by claiming that they are following the guidelines set by the EPA.  Let’s be honest here in the last two years alone we have seen the dumbing down if not outright repealing of these laws.  Our current president seems to be on a mission to eliminate the EPA completely.   The goal seems to be to eliminate every law that protects people and replace them with those that protect CEOs and shareholders.

Now, according to the reports, most foods (90%) meet the US standards and requirements, however, the other 10% includes many staples from the grain and starches group.  Grains and starches are two of the most widely used product filler and additives in the US, especially in corporate processed foods.  Some stores have removed the weed killer product from their shelves, but is that going far enough, or do we need to remove all violators of these standards?

And, if you or your children are fruit juice lovers, hang on to your hat, because metals and arsenic are showing up in high levels in these products.  Arsenic is classified as a “naturally occurring” element in the environment, however, industrial run-off of these toxins has increased the levels.  One of the biggest arsenic offender food is rice, of course, it is something that I am rather fond of and should now limit my consumption.  Fish (another food that I am rather fond of) has been suspected of high levels of mercury for years, it is even worse now.

Hopefully, future generations will begin to produce things without polluting their environment to the point where it becomes harmful to life.  We customers, today, need to start pressuring local and federal officials more on the standards of quality of our foods.  We need to demand honest answers and do our due diligence to ensure that they cannot simply brush away our concerns.

And before anyone starts the argument of eating healthier foods (we just talked about that in an earlier blog), it has also been discovered that many of the chemicals and metals have found their way into “organic” foods as well.  Wind, erosion, and run-off are spreading contaminated soil across fields that are considered organic.  We have been told for years that eating salmon is a great food for the heart, yet, there is now so much mercury in the fish that we need to limit our consumption (criminy-sakes).

The chickens (literally) are coming home to roost in the US, years of polluting our soil, water, and air is beginning to take its toll on every aspect of our lives.  Couple that with the greedy assholes in the companies that rule our nation, who continue to mix a bunch of bad chemicals together and call it food, we are quickly being poisoned out of existence.  It is time to demand more from our politicians!

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The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

So, as I had previously written, the store with all the smiling faces everywhere had become the new “Darling of main street”.  Well, new data has emerged to support my theory in that post.  More economists and financial analysts have weighed in on the subject with information confirming ole Grumpy’s theory.

Data coming out now indicates that the king of discount stores sold more groceries than they normally do in a year based on year-over-year sales stats.  Proving that they have stolen customers away from the more “upscale” stores with lower pricing.  This certainly confirms the theory that customers are spending less and looking for discounts and savings.

The data also showed the increased amount of discount shopping for non-food products and durable goods (anything that is hard constructed i.e. a shovel).  Within this data, there are obvious trends that are emerging about this so-called “robust economy”, that are indicating the desire for cheaper goods and the decrease of disposable income spending.  It could also mean that there is a decrease in people eating out at restaurants and are opting for cooking at home on the cheap.

So, the next time you are out shopping and realize that you are not getting as much for your money, change stores to the place with smiling faces and enjoy the lack of customer service.  The next time you hear a talking head or someone you know try to tell you how great this economy is, tell them to go piss up a rope!

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The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2109 All Rights Reserved

Yesterday, it was announced that retail numbers in the US had “crashed”, a grim reminder that all is not well in MAGA-Land.  It was predicted by several retail analysts that there would be more retail store closings in 2019.  The continuous downtrend of retail does not bode well for us customers as shopping choices are disappearing.

Wall Street was down several points on the bad retail news.  But then suddenly, magically, a hero emerged to save the stock market day, the store with the smiling faces!  Yes, the King of Discounts has become the “Darling of Mainstreet”, rescuing all those downtrodden investors looking for an answer to their investment prayers.

The discounter smashed all anticipated sales numbers for the holiday season and profits for the year 2018, eclipsing their old record.  Wow, that is amazing!  Really, “but wait there’s more”, the story isn’t exactly as it seems.  The store with the smiling faces has closed some of its locations including some of its shopping club properties.  And in addition to that, they have also reduced the number of people who qualify for full-time hours and benefits.

So, to become a darling on Wall Street, all you have to do is keep screwing people out of pay, benefits and a quality way of life.  This leaves the totally disgruntled “associate” in the stores, unwilling to help customers with their shopping needs and questions (I recently wrote about that).  It has created an environment that is at best toxic and totally undesirable for customers.  However, they are partying in offices on Wall Street.

Surely it is obvious, even to the most uneducated of people that our economy is not booming, at least not for the lower 90% of our population.  Sure, the upper 10% of the population has grown their money significantly, this especially true of the top 1% of earners.  This is being proven daily by the seemingly endless number of store chains who are either filing for bankruptcy or going out of business completely.  The only somewhat-healthy store chains left in the system are the big discounters.

There is little question that customers are not able to spend much money at this point—they are tapped out.  Additional information that was reported indicated that the early release of food-stamp payments scheduled for February played a big role in the total number of profits for the holiday season.  Once again, we see that everything is geared towards corporations and Wall Street while main street is left to rot in the wake of capitalism.

At some point, this whole thing is going to implode, leaving nothing but gated communities and peasants living in pleasant valley.  Meanwhile, we customers continue our trek to find a decent world in which to buy our goods,

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The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

Ok, I have written about the woes of healthcare costs and how most average Americans are struggling to pay those costs.  Well, in the constant debate about the feasibility of “Medicare for All”, everyone seems to have their arguments about whether it could work or not.  One talking head brought up an issue that I wanted to pursue further for this blog.  The issue of eating healthier meals and the reduction of junk or processed foods.

Look, there is no question and I have written about it here—processed foods are poison.  And we Americans are addicted to that fast, drive-through window cuisine with their logo signs dotting our landscape like man-made trees blowing in the shitty corporate air.  At some point in time, we are all guilty of ingesting this poisonous fare.  But for some, this poor food substitute is a daily habit almost as much as cigarettes. This is especially true when you consider the fact that fast food isn’t the only processed food, a vast majority of our daily meals in our supermarkets are factory made.

But there is more to this issue of healthy eating than just poor lifestyle choices.  For instance, the cost of supposed “healthy” food by far exceeds that of mass-produced, processed foods.  I did my own research on this to validate my point, shopping at one of the more popular, upscale, natural food stores (the one owned by the company with the swooshing dick logo) and the most popular discount food store (the one with the smiling faces everywhere), to compare pricing of comparable foods.

In the upscale, healthier store, there is a plethora of supposedly organic, naturally grown and processed foods, each with their own bragging points of healthiness.  Obviously, in the discount store, the racks are loaded with every corporate label known to humankind.   For my test, I decided to do dinner by simply buying package meals from both stores, opting for a Mexican theme feast.  The healthy store had a selection of unknown brands of Mexican dinners that claimed to be made from organic ingredients.  The cheapo store had every well know corporate imitation of real food.  For this test, I opted for the enchilada dinner.

First, if you look at the ingredients, there were decidedly more additives (mostly chemicals) in the cheaper version while the more expensive offering had fewer, mostly food-ish additives.   After opening the packages, they both resembled frozen blobs in disposable dishes, neither had an appeal that had me wanting them—now!

After heating both sets of enchiladas, I set down for my big experiment.  The cheapo meal had more than its share of sodium, while the more expensive meal seemed rather bland.  So, depending on your taste and need for salt, it really is a matter of personal choice on flavor.  However, the price difference was staggering, the more expensive set of enchiladas (being close in total weight and volume) was over 40% higher in cost.

So, why do I bring this up?  Was there really any health benefits or difference in the food products I tested, maybe.  There certainly is a larger expense involved in so-called healthier foods.  And let’s be real here, healthier eating requires the purchase of fresh food products that are then cooked at home every evening and would increase the average shopping bill by a very significant amount.   With wages stagnant, the average household cannot afford to eat the so-called healthy meals every night, or for that matter—every other night.

Then, there is the issue of availability, in smaller, medium populated communities there are rarely stores that offer fresh and organic offerings that are alleged to be better for your health.  This often means a commute to a larger city to find a healthier store, again adding to already significantly higher costs.  You can order some of the television advertised, home-delivered programs, but have your banker handy ready to sign your high-interest loan.

Being real here, the obvious answer to this dilemma is the need for higher paying jobs, lower cost, healthier food products, and healthcare that is realistically affordable.  Obviously, we have been trending towards this unhealthy food habit for years, hence the massive growth of corporate food processors.  To change this trend would require massive changes in the structure of our everyday lives and the choices we make.  I am not making excuses for bad choices but let’s face the truth, our everyday lives have been molded by the limited choices offered by our instant, convenient and low-priced corporate masters.

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The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

So, there were reports again yesterday regarding the possible closure of many more retail stores.  This seems to be a daily occurrence now as the retail industry continues to go through serious changes.  Most of the media world blames the online shopping craze as the cause of these store closures.  However, many economists are quick to point out that credit cards may be maxed out at this point and consumers can no longer buy things.

After some research, I tend to side with economists as the numbers clearly show that while online spending is definitely increasing, the amount does not equal the loses on the physical store side.  People have stopped spending.   Credit card stress in this country is reported to be the highest it has been since 2009, with delinquencies on the rise. Things are starting to get a little tense here in the “land of the free and home of the brave”.

I do believe there is another factor playing a role here, maybe it is a small role but a role never-the-less.  This blog is dedicated to the ever-decreasing amount of customer service going on out there and I do believe that is contributing to store closures as well.  “So how do you figure that Grumpy?”  It’s simple really, you might recall in a recent blog that I wrote about the trouble we had getting help with a television purchase.  We were treated like dirt and there was no concern about our needs or question in deciding on our purchase.

So, here is my theory; in making purchasing decisions on things where you don’t need to either try it on or test drive it, why not just buy it online?  It is cheaper, less hassle, and you don’t have to leave your home, fight traffic, find a parking spot or deal with big fizzy douches disguised as store associates.  Now, I am not picking on the employees here but rather the dick-head corporate executives who don’t pay them a living wage.  It’s is difficult not to be a big fizzy douche when you must work three jobs to feed your family.

This theory stands the test, recently, my love and I decided on purchasing new recliners for our home and once again found the buying experience to be less than exhilarating.  Once again, the store associates in this venture were anything but helpful, most of them simply pointed us in the direction of the floor exhibit chairs and politely excused themselves.  So, our strategy turned to simply finding the model of chair that we wanted and order it online.

Believe me when I say that it kills me to continue to send money to the online store with the swoosh dick for a logo, but it makes the shopping experience in many cases easier and much more desirable.  I believe that many folks out there are using the same strategy to make their purchase decisions, hell, in some cases, this is done while buying cars!  This type of habit reduces traffic in the brick-and-mortar stores which could lead to a loss of point-of-purchase sales (POP), possibly diminishing a retail stores total income.

The reshaping of the retail industry is probably caused by many factors, but one thing is certain; with the reduction of physical stores, there is also a serious reduction in job opportunities.  Even though these jobs are not high paying they are still jobs, at least for the time being.  I believe the death of the boutique, family-owned store was the beginning of the end for the retail experience, even though malls seemed to be the latest craze, they too have met their end.

Maybe a total collapse of our economic system would give a rebirth to the old store model, but who the hell would want to go through that?  In the meantime, some dramatic economic changes are coming our way, I just hope we are ready for them.

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The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

Ok, I know what you are thinking—here we go again, right?  Well, this really did happen, and I am as disappointed as anyone that it occurred again.  On a recent trip to my least favorite store in the world, you know the one with all the smiling faces everywhere, I was once again very aggravated.  On this trip, my beautiful mate had decided that she was not leaving the store without one of the many Februarys specially priced televisions (this is the time when no one buys since Christmas has depleted everyone’s credit cards).

With little objection, as our current TV was definitely on its last legs and could only be viewed from a very dark room, I obliged the urge and began our quest.  Once we arrived at the electronics department of this world-renowned store (gag!), we began casual browsing of the offerings that were displayed all about.  Finally, settling on a few options of size and technological advances we were ready to begin our sales journey with some questions.

We were the only customers in the electronics area and felt that this would be a walk in the park.  Locating a young associate at the counter who was diligently studying some ledger, we had found the help that we needed, only thing left to do now was ask a few questions and close the deal!  Or so we thought.  After a few throat clearing maneuvers designed to awaken even the most comatose of individuals, we almost had to fire a starters pistols in this guy’s ear to get his attention.

Once we had successfully alerted the young man of our presence, we began to ask some questions.  However, our questions seemed to have no meaning to this guy as he appeared totally uninterested in making a sale today.  In fact, at one point, this young individual seemed to be completely blowing us off.  Now, by this time, I have reached the boiling point, but my partner displayed her usual calmness and cool and talked me down.  That is until this young man finally pierced her armor with a condescending jack- ass comment, then she unleashed her ‘Game of Thrones” anger and we had to go to the grocery side of the store and cool off.

Well, eventually we found an employee who was willing to make a sale of a TV with us without trying to totally piss us off.  I have said this several times here on this blog–I get it that corporations really could give a furry-rats ass about me as a customer, but what I don’t get is why other human beings can’t be human.  I realize that this young man is frustrated with his low paying job and with a company who gives even less of a shit about him.  However, I have worked for some asshole people myself, but I have always treated customers like people no matter what.

I think the bigger story here is that we have fewer and fewer choices when we shop today, and it continues to shrink, by the day.  It almost seems like the only choices we now have are the store with the smiling faces or the online bastion with the swooshing dick as a logo (not to mention that the CEO is now the dick-pic king!).  It seems to be never-ending that our shrinking salaries leave us with no option other than being treated like a sack of shit by these corporate douche bags.  I get it that more money means that you are treated like royalty, but for piss sakes, all we are asking is to be treated like is people!

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The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

I still remember the whooping and hollering that went on after the signing of the “Affordable Care Act”, the crown jewel in the Obama presidency.  It was the plan that was going to save us all—remember?  Truth is, it did make it impossible to be denied medical health coverage to people with pre-existing issues.  What they didn’t tell you, however, is that you can get coverage no matter what, but if you have a pre-existing condition, hold on to your ass, because they are going to take a big chunk out of it with the cost.

A good friend’s father recently had to have surgery on his back due to chronic pain.  After a few consults with his surgeon and physician, the surgery was scheduled, and everything was set.  However, due to the advanced age of this gentleman (82), he was warned of the “tricky nature” of his surgery and there were no guarantees.  The man was confident that the surgery would work and was ready to end his chronic back pain.

My friend’s father was a retired military man who had also worked for military contractors once he became a civilian again.  He had also invested his money wisely and had a good retirement pension and stock earnings to live on.  He also has a great medical insurance plan that covers 90% of all costs.  Unfortunately, few of us out here have that great medical coverage that this man has.

So, everything got underway with the patient having his surgery and the surgeon is very confident that all had gone well.  Unfortunately, all did not go according to plan and there were some complications which turned an over-night hospital stay into another surgery and a week-long ordeal.  The second surgery ended up being much more complicated and extended the patient’s hospital stay to two weeks.

The news did not get better by week 3 of the hospital stay as a third surgery became necessary and the stay would include 2 more weeks of hospital stay that included some intense and painful therapy and of course—the drugs.  By now the patient’s mental state was beginning to deteriorate and tension was building for the whole family.  Finally, after 5 weeks of living hell, my friend’s father finally got to go home-sweet-home!

Why do I tell you this story and what does this have to do with a grumpy customer?  Well, my friends, we get down to the part of the story that at some point could affect many of us one day—the bill!  I knew that the total cost of this ordeal would be incredible, I was wrong, it was freakin staggering!  The final total sum of all charges involved in this ordeal went over a half a million bucks.  That’s right, the bills exceeded $500,000! (hope a tube of Vaseline and bend over exercises were included in those charges)

Now, remember that I stated earlier that this man had good health insurance that paid for most of the charges.  So, my question is; how in the sam hill would someone with lesser quality insurance find the cash to pay for these charges?  If you have a retirement fund, chances are that a bill of that amount would probably wipe most people completely.  Of course, and according to the brain trusts that are our politicians, “you can just get a loan” —for piss sakes!

And hell, the cost of insurance under that affordable act I referred to earlier is expensive, especially if you have an existing condition.  In some cases, it cost as much as $2,500 or more per month for an individual to be covered.  So, let’s do the math here, someone would have to pay $30,000 per year in coverage to help avoid a $500,000 or more healthcare bill.  Also, keep in mind the “affordable” plan leaves a lot of higher out-of-pocket costs to be picked up by the patient.

So, when did it become necessary to own a treasure chest in order to save a human life?  How did our health and our lives become mortgageable by the same corporate criminals that I often refer to here?  The answer is simple: the entire system is corroded with staggering costs created by the greed of people such as insurance and pharmaceutical executives.  The pharma world has been jacking us around for decades, there are many documented cases where life-saving drugs are simply not affordable to those who most need them.  The US has the highest healthcare costs in the world and is ranked very low in quality.

Many baby boomers will soon be at the phase of life that my friend’s father is, and many will need similar care or procedures just to have some quality of life.  At the current rate of inflation of costs in the healthcare industry (it is the fastest growing pace of any business sector), imagine the cost of a similar situation for me in twenty years.  Christ, it will cost over a million dollars!  How the hell am I going to afford that?  I must begin buying physical gold and hold it to help give myself some quality of.

I tell you one damn thing for sure, I totally support these young progressive kids who want “Medicare for all” and will give my vote to the progressive candidates who support it as well.  I know there is no such thing as a perfect world or solution and there are several things that need to be fixed in our healthcare system, but there must be something better than this.  And the next time I hear one of these blowhard politicians (republican or democrat) or talking heads tell me that we cannot afford a better system, I will print this blog off, roll it up and shove up their ignorant arses.

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

I know that I pick on fast food a lot on this blog, however, I believe those poisons seem to define our society (as evidenced by what is served at the White House lately).  I recently recalled a book that I had read about one of the fast food founding fathers and his success.  This founder was an underling of another fast food monarch who had changed the way we thought about dinner.

The patriarch of the drive-through window to which I am referring to created his own brand of restaurants through the promotion of using fresh, never frozen ingredients such as ground beef.  His daughter was heavily involved in the promotion of his restaurants (there’s your hint for today).  In the early days of this chain, the biggest slogan was the question of the location of the beef (your final hint).

Throughout the book, this restaurant entrepreneur constantly boasted of his belief in the quality of the product served to his customer.  In the early years, he was able to accomplish this and was recognized through numerous awards for quality service and products.  The restaurant had earned its reputation of using only fresh beef for the burgers they served.  It truly was a story of quality brought to life by an entrepreneur’s vision of serving customers only the best quality, but it would change.

In one of the later chapters in the book, the founder, now of advanced age, found himself and his restaurant chain at a crossroads.  Most of the company’s competitors had either been purchased by large corporations or in the process of being acquired.  The offers that were being made were too juicy (pun intended) to resist and the founder soon fell to the pressures of corporation competition and sold controlling rights to a company raider.  The founder managed to retain some creative control and rights for his family to also be involved in some decisions.

In the following chapter, the founder mentions that a freshly minted, ivy league school MBA had suggested that the restaurants use the day’s leftover beef to create the chili for the next day.  This was appalling to the founder of the chain that had so fervently protected the policy of freshness, he rolled his eyes at the suggestion.  But ultimately time and the ever-changing world of profits prevailed, and the policy was changed.  Once again, we see that profits win out over customer satisfaction, unless, of course, you are part of the upper 10% of the wealth chain.

This book was written back in the 1990s, about the time when what was left of quality products and service began to die in favor of making CEOs, board members and shareholders wealthy.  It isn’t only the fast food chains that have suffered this fate but almost every type of consumer product and service.  The movie “Idiocracy” best portrayed how all the services in the world will be delivered, by some jack ass machine that sprays you in the face if you don’t like the quality!  WTF!!!!!!!

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